Talk of a "high strike" might be old news by August. But right now, it's a tough topic for hitters in the Atlantic League.

The league's desire to shorten the length of games resulted in some rule changes, but the most visible change has been the directive for league umpires to call the high strike.

Talk about head games.

For years, players have been ingrained that a ball at the letters is not only out of the strike zone -- it's way out of the strike zone.

Technically the "high strike" is not new. The major league rulebook details that a pitch that crosses the plate near the letters on a players' jersey is a strike. Actually calling higher pitches strikes is the new twist.

The end result is veterans, guys with a decade or more of experience, and younger players are both trying to redefine what they know as the strike zone and what pitches they need to protect against.

"You know, it's really weird," Revs shortstop Andy Gonzalez said, "we've never had that strike called. But at the same time, if they are going to call it all season, we have to make an adjustment as hitters. Either get better at swinging at it, or hope for some better pitches."

Gonzalez is not the only hitter struggling to adjust. Revs manager Mark Mason has been approached by several hitters, admitting they have chased pitches out of the zone because they didn't know what would be called a strike.

Admittedly, the high strike is a difficult pitch to handle.

"When you hit, you want your hands above the ball, so when you start getting strikes up here (at the letters), it's hard to get on top of it," Mason said.

That said, Mason realizes if pitchers want to use a high strike for anything other than a purpose pitch -- they are going to be hit. So even though the strike zone has increased, don't necessarily believe offense will take a dip. Don't think the Revs hitting woes (.188 average and no homers before Tuesday night), have anything to do with the high strike.

"I don't mind letters -- I don't -- because a pitcher ain't going to live there anyway," Mason said, "just because you don't want to be consistently trying to throw the ball up in the zone. You try to throw (at the) letters and you leave it (at the) belt."

Leave a pitch at the belt, and it usually finds its way to Arch Street. Throwing high can be a career killer, because all it takes is a mistake of a matter of inches.

If a starting pitcher throws high at the end of a start, it's a sure sign to get someone warm in the pen. Asked why a starter was pulled, and a common refrain remains: His pitches were elevated.

"Big league pitchers, if you've noticed when they're in this league, are the guys that are consistently down in the zone," Revs pitching coach John Halama said earlier this season. "You can't pitch up in the zone, period. And I think that's why a lot of guys -- minor leaguers that might not get a chance at the big league level -- don't get a chance, because of that reasoning."

Former Revs manager Andy Etchebarren commented last week that during his pro career umpires called the high strike, but when pitchers threw the ball high they got "ripped."

But the high strike is new to the league this year, and it's easy to see players around the league have yet to adjust to the new zone. Lots of head shaking, lots of blank stares at umpires. But by July, there also might be a lot of those high pitches that miss headed toward the Codorus.